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Harry Potter and the Ritual of Love's Memory | ||||||
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Category: Post-HBP Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, General, Romance Warnings: Death, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Violence Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 259 Summary: After the horcrux hunt implodes leaving most of those Harry loves dead, he starts a new life with a few fellow survivors far away from wizarding Britain. But the discovery of an ancient ritual that promises to send a single memory back in time sparks hope that maybe things can change. Dark ending to DH followed by a tweaked retelling of GoF through DH. Harry/Ginny. Friday updates. Original Timeline Voldemort's Victory - Chapter 1-5 (Feel free to skip if you don't like major character deaths) Tenochtitlán - Chapter 6-9 New Timeline Harry's 4th Year - Chapter 10-28 Harry's 5th Year - Chapter 29-68 Harry's 6th Year - Chapter 69-Current Hitcount: Story Total: 169426; Chapter Total: 1696 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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"Mr. Potter! This is an exam! What in the world do you think you're on about?!" Professor Tofty's admonition had no effect on Harry, who was sprinting out of the Great Hall the moment he realized where he was. "If you don't finish your exam, you'll receive-" "Sorry, Professor, but I think it's urgent!" Harry heard Ron's voice call out above the concerned murmuring of students and his own heavy footfalls. He couldn't think and he couldn't breathe. The only thing Harry knew was that he needed to get to Sirius. He sprinted through the halls of the castle and up staircases three at a time on his way to Gryffindor Tower, his mind racing with unfinished thoughts the entire way. When he burst through the portrait hole and into the Common Room, Ginny caught one look at the panic on his face and left Demelza and Katie behind. "Harry, what happened?" Her brown eyes were already wide with concern. "Voldemort's got Sirius!" gasped Harry. "He's got Sirius and he's going to torture him if I don't help him get the prophecy!" Much of the color drained from Ginny's face. "Vol- Voldemort has Sirius? Where?" "At the Ministry! He's torturing him! If I don't get there quick…" "Okay, okay! Let's think…" Ginny blinked repeatedly as she tried to regain some semblance of calm. "We've got to tell Dumbledore!" Harry was about to explain why that wouldn't work when Ron, Hermione, and Neville clambered through the portrait hole, each looking winded and red in the face. "Bloody hell, mate…" wheezed Ron, his hands pressed against his knees to prop himself up. "What's going on?" "Voldemort's captured Sirius and is torturing him," declared Harry, panic rising in his voice. "I've got to get to the Ministry or else he's going to die!" "How do you know all that?" asked Neville, wincing while holding his side. "Was it another vision like before?" "Yeah, I saw it happening! Voldemort has Sirius tied up in the Department of Mysteries and is using the Cruciatus! I've got to figure out how to get there, fast!" Ron swore loudly. "The Ministry has tons of floos and Dumbledore has one in his office. Maybe he can get a bunch of the Order members to meet him there to get Sirius?" "NO!" cried Harry, a great deal louder than he intended. "If Dumbledore or anyone else shows up, Voldemort is going to leave with Sirius as prisoner." "What do you mean?" asked Hermione, concern written across her face. "We have to tell Dumbledore!" "You don't understand! Voldemort told Sirius that if anyone from the Order showed up-" "But what if he's lying?" There was a glimmer of panic in Hermione's eyes, but she held Harry's gaze nonetheless. "He got you come to him on at the tournament. He might be trying to trick you into walking into a trap…" "Of course, it's a trap!" spat Harry, almost beside himself trying to get his friends to understand. "But Sirius is the bait, and I can't just leave him there all alone! I can't lose him!" Ginny covered her nose and mouth with her hands in an attempt to control her tone. "Harry, we can't just go running off to the ministry on our own. We need-" "Not we! I've got to go, but there's no way anyone else is coming. It's too dangerous!" Harry was too scared and panicked to notice the flash in Ginny's eyes. "You can help me find a floo I can use, though! I just need to grab my invisibility cloak first. And I'll get the map too… Maybe we can find a floo that's unattended!" "Harry James Potter!" Having grown up in a house where he was often in trouble but rarely called by his given name, Harry came to a full stop at the sound of Ginny's voice. He felt the pull toward his dormitory diminish slightly as he turned back to see his girlfriend, hands on her hips in a remarkably Mrs. Weasley-esque manner, staring him down. "If you think, for one second, that we're going to let you run off to the ministry alone, you've gone off the deep end." Her voice shook with a combination of anger and fear, but she looked up at Harry unwaveringly. "If it's too dangerous for any of us to go, there's no way we're letting you go on your own. And if you think it's worth the risk, then we're coming, too." Harry's shoulders sagged slightly at the sight of a determined Ginny veritably daring him to argue with her. He chanced a quick glance at Ron, whose pale face looked grim, but was slowly nodding along. Hermione's eyes were glassy with the beginnings of unshed tears, but her jaw was set and she already looked to be thinking through options. Neville had the distinct look of a boy about to lose his lunch but showed no sign of backing down. Thoughts raced through Harry's head. Could he get to a floo and make it to the ministry, but close it behind him so that the others would be safe? If he didn't come alone, would Voldemort immediately flee with Sirius? Or would he take Harry's friends hostage? "There's no time," contested Harry loudly, his thoughts still swimming. "I've got to get there; it's our only chance!" "Shouldn't we at least tell Professor Dumbledore what's happening?" asked Neville, his voice quavering. "Even if he couldn't come with, wouldn't it be better for him to know? Maybe he could contact the Aurors or something?" "Dumbledore won't let me go!" Harry raged. The vision of Sirius being tortured seemed to be burned into his eyes. "I can't let Sirius die! Voldemort's going after him to get to me, just like Viktor!" A gasp of a sob escaped Hermione. "We need a plan." Ron's voice was strained but he wore a serious look that Harry had seen during some of their more intense Advanced Defense lessons. "Go grab your cloak and the map. We'll start trying to figure out what to do. Nev, go with him and make sure he doesn't try to sneak out under the cloak without us." Harry's eyes grew wide as it suddenly occurred to him how good an idea that would have been, had he been the one to think of it instead of Ron. With a swift nod, Harry darted toward the stairs to his dormitory. Neville was right behind him when he heard Ginny's voice call out to him. "And grab the mirror, just in case!" The implication that they needed to use the mirror to call Sirius, who was actively being tortured in the Department of Mysteries and wouldn't be capable of answering, bubbled up immediate frustration within Harry, but he was too busy sprinting up the stairs to yell back the angry reply that formed in the back of his head. He'd grab the damn mirror if it meant convincing his friends to hurry up and find a way for him to reach the Ministry. He burst through the doors to the dormitory and hastily summoned his cloak with a quick "Accio!" while rummaging for the Marauder's Map. With both firmly in his grasp, he grabbed for the mirror on his bedside table while already looking back to where an out-of-breath Neville was leaning against the door frame. In his hurry, he fumbled the mirror from his fingers. The shattering of glass coincided with a loud swear from Harry. "Forget it! Let's just go!" barked Harry as he pushed past Neville. "We don't have time to wait around!" Before his friend could respond, Harry was already halfway back down the staircase, his mind reeling at the implications of the predicament. When he reentered the Common Room, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked to be at the beginnings of a disagreement. "We can't understand. We've got our parents, our family. Sirius is the only family Harry has," implored Ginny. "What would we do if all the people we loved were being held hostage?" "But we can't go barreling into a trap unprepared," argued Hermione. "You know I'll go with if it comes to that, but we can't leave Hogwarts without alerting an adult. Professor Dumbledore needs to know what's happening…" "What if Harry sends his patronus to warn Dumbledore right before we go through the floo?" offered Ginny. "Then he'd know what's happening and we could already be gone by the time he gets the message." "Are there any other ideas about an available floo?" asked Ron, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "I'd rather not break into the headmaster's office if it can be helped. It'd be a lot easier if we had floo powder here in the Common Room." Harry was still slightly out of breath when he ran up to the three of them. "I've got the cloak and map, but the mirror broke. Where are we heading?" Ginny frowned as she began to apprise him about their preliminary ideas. "The professors have floos in their quarters, but breaking into the headmaster's office seems like the easiest option available. Ron said you might know the password to get past the gargoyle?" "It was 'Fizzing Whizbees' a few weeks ago, but Dumbledore might have changed it since then," supplied Harry while his eyes scanned the map. "His office is empty right now!" "Before we leave, we want to find a way to get a warning to members of the Order," added Ron hesitantly. "We were thinking you could send your patronus to Dumbledore right before we go through the floo." Harry hesitated. The fear of not being able to reach Sirius in time suddenly gave way to the fear that he wouldn't be able to rescue his godfather and that he was leading his friends into danger. He didn't see any way Dumbledore would be able to prevent him from leaving if he waited until the last second to send a warning and having members of the Order arrive in time to help would be a great help. The only problem was that Voldemort had said he'd flee with Sirius as a hostage if any Order members showed up. "I don't know… Voldemort said he'd abandon the Ministry and take Sirius with him if any members of the Order came after him." Harry grit his teeth as he attempted to think. If he knew that he could get there on his own, he would just push through and deal with the consequences as they came. But with Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Neville coming, the lessons on strategy from Mad-Eye Moody forced their way into the forefront of his thoughts. "We don't have time to wait around. Let's head to his office and figure it out on the way." Ron swore under his breath but slowly nodded. Hermione looked the least convinced but didn't object to the plan. Ginny's eyes shone with protectiveness, but she didn't yet move. "Where's Neville? Why didn't he come back down with you?" "I'm right here!" called out the boy as he hurried down the last few stairs. "The Reparo spell isn't exactly my strong suit, but I think I managed it on my third try." He handed the small rectangle to Harry. Faint cracks were still partially visible in the glass, but it looked mostly whole. Harry didn't want to waste more time than needed, but saw the hopefulness spring to his friends' faces and figured it was worth a try, even if only to convince everyone about how dire the situation was. He quickly spoke his godfather's name into the mirror and watched his reflection impatiently. To Harry's great surprise, Sirius' face appeared in the mirror. "Hey, Harry! Thought you had History of Magic this afternoon?" Equal parts relief and consternation washed over Harry. "Sirius? Where are you? What's going on?" "I'm out with Remus, celebrating that he finally got the nerve to take Tonks on a proper date. What's wrong? You sound frantic." "I had another vision, but it was of Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries. He had you tied up and was using the Cruciatus on you. He told you that if I didn't come help get the prophecy, he was going to kill you!" The color drained from Sirius' face. "Harry, I'm fine. I'm right here." Sirius turned the mirror around so Harry could see the cafe where he and a very concerned Remus were sitting. "Where are you? Please tell me you're still at the school…" "Y-yeah, we're here in the Common Room," answered Harry shakily. His heart was pounding with adrenaline and there was a faint buzzing in his ears as he tried to understand what was happening. "But I saw you being tortured…" "You saw what Voldemort wanted you to see," replied Sirius, his face grave. "He could have some random person under glamours to look like me or have gotten some hair for a Polyjuice Potion. For all we know, he might be able to just project this kind of thing without any help." Harry nodded as he tried futilely to regain his composure. He imagined an image of a disastrous foray into the Ministry: a triumphant Voldemort clutching the prophecy, his friends lying motionless on the floor, a flash of green light hurtling toward him. He shuddered. "Alright, then. You know I'm safe and that Voldemort is actively trying to lure you into the Department of Mysteries. You'd better go talk to Dumbledore and give him a heads-up. I'm sure he's got a contingency plan for something like this…" Concern was written across Sirius' face. "Might be worth bringing someone along with you, too." A long sigh escaped Harry as he agreed. Ginny's quiet voice sounded beside him. "I can go with him." The worry on Sirius' face grew slightly less pronounced as a small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. "Oh, Ginny… You're the epitome of self-sacrifice. Harry, I'll call you on the mirror this evening to check in." The image of Sirius faded away, leaving Harry staring into his own green eyes. His arms slowly fell limp at his side as he attempted to process the previous half hour. A small, warm hand slipped into his and squeezed gently. "Let's go find Professor Dumbledore," encouraged Ginny, barely above a whisper. "Can we catch up with you three afterward?" Murmurs of assent reached Harry's ears, but he couldn't bring himself to look any of them in the eye as he allowed Ginny to lead him toward the portrait hole. A shame descended around Harry as he kept pace with Ginny in the corridors. He had almost led his best friends into a trap. A trap that he should have seen from a mile away, that he'd been warned about. He'd come all too close to losing them all. He wasn't sure when Ginny had taken the Marauder's Map from him, but she held it in her hand that wasn't gripping his and consulted it as they made their way to wherever Dumbledore was at the moment. Of course, Voldemort had been trying to goad him into showing up at the Ministry unprotected, thought Harry, his eyes not focusing on the world around him as Ginny led him through another hallway. It was all so obvious now: the way Voldemort explained his plan to the person tied to the chair, how he just happened to mention how Harry could help speed things up, and the warning that bringing any Order members would cause him to flee with Sirius in tow. Harry's eyes burned as he thought of how quickly he'd dismissed Ginny's idea of using the mirror, only attempting to try it as a means of speeding up the process of leaving. The way he'd dismissed Hermione out of hand and snapped at Neville. That each of his friends had been ready to come with him despite it all. "C'mon, Harry," breathed Ginny. "He's in the Transfiguration classroom with Professor McGonagall." No part of Harry was looking forward to telling his professors what he'd seen, much less explaining the frantic plans he'd considered. Ginny knocked twice but opened the door without waiting for permission to enter, pulling Harry behind her. McGonagall looked to be mostly done gathering her things after a lecture and was next to her desk. The headmaster stood nearby with a stack of papers in his hand. Both appeared to be surprised at the intrusion. "Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter," intoned McGonagall. "To what do we owe this visit?" "Harry had another vision," answered Ginny quickly, gripping Harry's hand much more tightly. "A really bad one of Voldemort using the Cruciatus on Sirius at the Ministry. We were able to get in touch with Sirius and he's safe, but we thought it was important to tell you right away." Dumbledore tossed the papers in his hands aside and strode toward the two students, though Harry noticed the pages neatly stacked themselves on McGonagall's desk as she hurried toward them. In as much detail as he could muster, Harry explained the vision to his professors: how the setting progressed to a room beyond the corridor from the Department of Mysteries he'd seen in his dreams, the way Voldemort attempted to entice Harry to come to the rescue, and the warning against allowing any Order members to intrude. Both adults listened intently until he had completed the description. "How did you confirm that Sirius is not being held captive?" asked McGonagall, concern lining her face. "My dad's communication mirror," replied Harry. "Sirius has the other and we use them to keep in contact with each other." "An excellent use of your wits amid a perceived crisis," contended Dumbledore, stroking his beard. Harry began to interject that it had been Ginny's idea, but the headmaster continued. "I know not what may have been in store for you had you heeded Voldemort's desires, but I think it reasonable to guess the danger would have been grave. I believe it would be wise to alert Kingsley of the matter and urge him to conduct an inspection of the Ministry. While I very much doubt Lord Voldemort himself is awaiting your potential arrival, I will be ill at ease until I hear from him that the space is clear." Dumbledore waved his wand, causing a silvery phoenix to burst forth. It sped away through a window, carrying the headmaster's message to Kingsley. "The Fifth Years sat for Astronomy OWLs yesterday. Did you perform your Occlumency exercises after taking the practical last night?" Professor McGonagall asked bluntly but without accusation. "Yes, professor, I did. The vision only happened when I nodded off during the History of Magic exam." She let out a small huff at his answer. "While I would not have been pleased had this been caused by a lack of vigilance on your part, Mr. Potter, I'm not much comforted that the vision occurred despite your preparations." "I believe it likely that the circumstances will require me to step away from the school for a few hours, but before I take my leave, I have a request." The wisened headmaster stared at Harry intently as he spoke. "I would like your word that you will remain here under any and all circumstances until the end of the term. Lord Voldemort yearns for another chance to confront you away from the castle's protections and the aid of the Hogwarts staff. He has betrayed one of his tactics by using threats to those who are closest to you to entice you away from safety. I must ask that, even if confronted with a seemingly dire situation such as the one you beheld, you bring those concerns directly to Minerva or myself." Harry wasn't sure if Dumbledore guessed how close he and his friends had been to barreling away from safety, but he felt another wave of shame in the pit of his stomach as color rushed to his cheeks. The best he could manage was a stiff nod. Ginny's hand, still in his, squeezed him encouragingly. "Excellent! Before I go, Miss Weasley, would it be fair to say that you, your brother, and Miss Granger have been curious about the nature of these visions?" The headmaster looked at Ginny kindly, who was taken slightly off guard by the question. "Oh! Erm… Yes, sir, we've been wondering what's going on a bit. Neville, too," she answered unsteadily. "We all know that it must be something important to keep secret, otherwise Harry would have told us. We've been worried about how stressed he's been ever since the vision of Tonks being attacked." Dumbledore nodded sagely as he stroked his beard. "Much of what Harry has learned must remain guarded for the time being, but I think the dangers of isolation may outweigh the risk of sharing a bit more freely. "Harry, I give you leave to explain to your friends the basics of the prophecy: that of which Voldemort is already aware. Do you understand your constraints? And will you promise to divulge only that which would not endanger them?" Harry blinked owlishly as he wrestled with the suddenly granted permission. He glanced at McGonagall, expecting her to voice disapproval. Instead, she looked almost pleased. "Yes, sir, absolutely. I can do that." "Very well, if there is nothing else, I will leave the two of you to return to Gryffindor Tower," the headmaster said with a gentle smile. His blue eyes twinkled as he turned to address McGonagall. "Minerva, unless I am quite mistaken, placating our OWL instructors after such an unexpected interruption may require a bit of your exceptional diplomacy." ~RLM~ With OWLs and NEWTs completed, the five friends did not have any competition for space in the empty student lounge. Harry cast a Muffliato, just to be safe, but no students interrupted as he delicately began explaining the details he was allowed to share about the prophecy. All things considered, Harry thought his friends took the news about as well as could be expected. Ron did let loose several potent swears during the explanation, and Ginny seemed to be gripping his hand more tightly by the minute. Hermione gasped aloud more than once and Neville had a few silent tears running down his cheeks by the end. Still, Harry took it as a good sign that none of them bolted for the door while he told the tale. A heaviness descended on the group even before he finished. Hermione seemed to be deep in her thoughts, while Neville looked as though he'd taken a bludger to the back of the head. Ron kept staring intently at Harry, pain brimming behind his steady gaze. Ginny rested her head on Harry's shoulder, the flowery scent of her hair serving to calm his breathing. After several long moments, Hermione was the first to break the silence. "When did Professor Dumbledore tell you about all this, Harry?" "A few months ago. Ron noticed I wasn't sleeping well, and that was because I kept having visions of the corridor in the Department of Mysteries. He threatened to tell the two of you," Harry patted Ginny's knee while nodding at Hermione. "Unless I talked to Sirius about it. He and Remus got super concerned when I told them about my dream, and they came to Hogwarts that night to talk it over with me and Dumbledore." Hermione winced. "I've been hounding you about studying for OWLs nonstop and getting onto to you about being distracted. I had no idea!" "Don't worry about it," reassured Harry wearily. "I think all of us know that's how you show that you care. It's kind of nice knowing some things never change." A sniffle escaped Hermione, but she was able to give Harry a small smile. "It's so unfair," muttered Ginny. "He's taken so much from you, and now a bloody prophecy gets dropped on top of you?" "I always figured there was more going on than we knew. But this? It's hard to wrap my mind around," mused Ron. He let out a long sigh. "Well, I guess that explains why Dumbledore and the other professors have been pushing us so hard in defense. Better for us to all be prepared for whatever comes our way." "You-Know-Who used that vision to try to get you to go to the Ministry. Do you think he would have really tried to let you get the prophecy for him, or would he have just…" Neville's voice trailed off as Harry's mind flashed to the variety of terrible possibilities that could have occurred had he rushed off to the Department of Mysteries. The uncomfortable quiet indicated to Harry that he wasn't the only one imagining how things might have ended. "I honestly don't know," replied Harry quietly, not meeting Neville's eyes. "I just keep thinking about how I almost dragged you all into a trap. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to any of you." "But you didn't. " There was a defiance in Ginny's voice. "He tried to trick you into going, but you didn't go. We worked together to figure it out and-" "And I almost got you all killed!" spat Harry, eyes shut tightly behind his glasses. He grit his teeth against the emotions rising inside his chest. "I knew Voldemort wanted to get me there, but I would have led you lot right to him if not for Ginny remembering the mirror or if Neville hadn't been able to fix it!" "By the way, well done, mate," said Ron hastily with a clap to Neville's shoulder before turning back to Harry. "It's not like you were begging us to come, you know. If I recall, you were pretty set on us staying back." Hermione nodded along with Ron. "Trying to rush off to the Ministry wasn't your finest moment of decision-making, but that's why you have all of us. We make each other better and we watch out for each other's blind spots." "But you heard the prophecy! Voldemort's not going to stop until I'm dead!" "Wrong!" Ginny shot back, her voice rising dangerously. "He'll stop once he's dead! And nobody will be safe until he's gone, so there's no use worrying about whether we're safe or not!" "I almost got you killed!" "And I almost got you killed First Year! I remember somebody telling me that it wasn't my fault and that it was all on Voldemort, but now when he messes with your head to get what he wants you get to blame yourself?" "That's different and you know!" yelled Harry. "You were just a kid! I've been trained to keep this kind of thing out of my head! They told me something like this would happen and I just let it!" Hermione tried to interject with a "Wait, that's not fair-" but the remainder of her thought was cut off by Ginny's response. "You've been fighting it for months, training for years, and dealing with Voldemort for basically your whole life! You didn't LET this happen, it just happened! So you can either feel terrible about yourself because of something outside of your control, or you can just be thankful you've got people who care about you enough to follow you into danger AND keep you from going in unnecessarily! And if the roles were reversed, you'd be just as willing to help any one of us!" With her chest heaving, Ginny stared Harry down with such ferocity that the rebuttal he'd started to form died in the back of his throat. She raised her eyebrows, daring him to argue. He was not fully convinced, but Harry saw no use contesting the point. The fact that his friends were standing by him despite his nearly disastrous mistake buoyed his spirits slightly. The feeling of his insides being constricted by guilt lessened slightly as he tried to give his girlfriend a conciliatory smile. |
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